I've written a feature article for ComputerWorld on HBO's upcoming Hacking Democracy, the superb documentary on the many insidious lies of Diebold scheduled for airing beginning Nov. 2nd. We posted a preview article on the film's release several weeks ago. That article should be posted in full Wednesday morning if the continuing delays are worked out (CW had said they'd hoped to publish it Monday).

In the meantime, Diebold seems to be embarrassing itself yet again by issuing a statement calling for HBO to pull the documentary, or at least run disclaimers before, after, and throughout the film. I've seen it. If I were them, I'd try to do everything I could to keep America from seeing the film, as well.

"Truth and accurate reporting are the biggest casualties of the film," Diebold Election System President David Byrd is quoted as saying in the media release.

But ironically, as The Hollywood Reporter is reporting tonight, Byrd has not only never seen the film, but his claims that the film is "Riddled With Errors and Slipshod Reporting" apparently refer to a completely different film!

Confusing a different film called VoterGate with the short film called VoterGate, which was an early version of the film now known as Hacking Democracy, Byrd writes a two page letter [PDF] to HBO refuting several points in the other film!

While Diebold's letter from Byrd claims that the film is "so egregious that HBO should pull the documentary," the letter itself is not only riddled with errors and slipshod reporting, it also makes a sad attempt at playing the partisan card, which Diebold has been trying to deny for years! Note this graf...

"Hacking Democracy" is directed by the directors of "VoterGate" and contains much of the same material. "VoterGate" was produced with special thanks to Susan Sarandon and The Streisand Foundation.

Never mind that the VoterGate Diebold refers to is the wrong VoterGate, but what the hell do either Susan Sarandon or The Streisand Foundation have to do with Diebold's claim that the film is inaccurate?

Not disingenuous enough for you? Byrd has more...

Harri Hursti is shown attacking a Diebold machine in Florida. But his "attack" proved later to be a complete sham. Hursti was invited by California Secretary of State's office to demonstrate his supposed ability to "hack" a Diebold optical scan system. He declined...

Of course, we know that Byrd never saw the Hursti Hack in Hacking Democracy (it hadn't occurred by the time either VoterGate film was released), the disingenuous claim that it "proved later to be a complete sham" is itself a complete sham:

Not only did the California Secretary of State's own technical advisory board at UC Berkley write that "Harri Hursti's attack does work" and that it was "definitely real" in their report [PDF] on the hack, but they also found "more serious vulnerabilities...that go well beyond what Mr. Hursti demonstrated, and yet require no more access to the voting system than he had. These vulnerabilities are consequences of bugs–16 in all."

We would later learn that the invitation to which Diebold refers, from the CA SoS "inviting" Hursti to try his hack out in California, was drafted by a Diebold employee and disinformation operative by the name of Rob Pelletier, and sent to Hursi on CA SoS stationery!

As revealed by this investigative report [PDF] released over the Summer by BlackBoxVoting.org (one of the film's main subjects) entitled "The Diebold Pursuasion Machine," it appears that Pelletier drafted the letter for CA SoS McPherson's office. The "invitation" would later come to be regarded as a "setup" using special Diebold machines and designed for Hursti to fail.

In the same report, it was revealed that Diebold employee Pelletier had been spreading disinformation under several phony names at various Internet sites, as well as here at BRAD BLOG as a commenter using the name "Wally O'Diebold."

As Barney Gimble wrote yesterday in a terrific piece on the history of Diebold in Fortune, about a "five-step plan guaranteed to make an obscure company absolutely notorious":

First get into a business you don't understand, selling to customers who barely understand it either. Then roll out your product without adequate testing. Don't hire enough skilled people. When people notice problems, deny, obfuscate and ignore. Finally, blame your critics when it all blows up in your face.

Hey Diebold: It's blowing up in your face. Stop blaming the critics. You're just making a continuous jackass out of yourselves. And, trust me, you've got far worse problems coming your way that you ought to be worrying about.

I'm quite amused by the continual hammering by the dems such as Brad, regarding how our vote doesn't count. Way to GET OUT THE DEM VOTE, brad! Convince your dim readers that their vote doesn't count anyway!! That, coupled with Kerry's foot-in-mouth blurtation, and the wonderful court ruling on gay marriage will surely galvanize the dems! ha. It will get the GOP vote out, for sure. I've always said, the Dems are their own worst enemy. Low IQ = continual blunders = continual defeats.

Go Brad! you're on a roll... whether they admit it or not, the MSM are looking here now for the investigative reporting and dot-joining that they can't be bothered to do... hoping they take this one and make a story out of Diebold's disingenuous propaganda. The MSM should get angry about this stuff - this propaganda is, after all, only aimed at fooling them, and it's in their interest make it known that they didn't fall for it.

Can't the Democratic party somehow get the word out that the SOS is trying to install these machines in our state, why is it that Democratic leaders have endorsed this idiot? Debra Bowen needs to get ads on the air as Bruce Mcpherson has ads up and he doesn't mention his support of e-voting he just mentions how he cleaned up a mess that he inherited and how he is supported by the Teachers Union.

I'm quite amused by the continual hammering by the dems such as Brad, regarding how our vote doesn't count. Way to GET OUT THE DEM VOTE, brad! Convince your dim readers that their vote doesn't count anyway!! That, coupled with Kerry's foot-in-mouth blurtation, and the wonderful court ruling on gay marriage will surely galvanize the dems! ha. It will get the GOP vote out, for sure. I've always said, the Dems are their own worst enemy. Low IQ = continual blunders = continual defeats.

While I object to the standard right-wing sanctimony of this statement, Buckshot is right. We are our own worst enemies. Until we begin to understand that there is nothing this crowd won't do to destroy our democratic system (they HATE the fact that people who disagree with them get to have an opinion) and get just as serious with the same seriousness, we aren't going to win. The flack over Kerry's statements are a perfect example. They will parse every word, deflect and attact to get us off the subject. We need to keep the subject square one.

Why are there no ads out there with "Mission Accomplished," "Stay the Course," and "Relax" all over them? Why don't we hear about the trillions of dollars our kids are going to owe so the rapists of our country could build generations of wealth? Why don't we just get on subject and stay there? Why isn't the military record of our senior administration and legislative officials the number-one topic?

To those who don't want the truth to be discussed because it might cause people not to vote, I say: First, there is NO EVIDENCE to support your hypothesis that learning our vote is being raped by corporations causes people to retreat. In fact, I believe what we are seeing is people digging in their heels, more insistent on voting --- AND FOLLOWING UP TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER VOTES WERE COUNTED ACCURATELY --- than ever before.

Now is the time to go on the offense, not to retreat. Go on the offense means cast your vote and then get involved personally with video cameras and public records requests --- see "Tool Kit" on our web site for pointers on what to do --- vote and then go after your vote to see what the heck is happening to it.

Thanks Bev! You are absolutely correct too. Make them steal it! And this time they won't be able to justify 20 point differences between "counts" and exit polls. Too many eyes are watching; and not just the choir...The majority out there don't want to believe it, but are now paying attention, due to the overwhelming evidence supplied by Brad and Bev (et al).

I personally went to the election board in Maplewood MO on Oct. 30 to confirm the vote flipping reported here on Brad Blog. After initially saying it didn't occur, then implying it was not as it seemed due to possible motives the person may have had, the election supervisor finally confirmed it did happen, but said it only occurred on one machine , once after 390 votes had previously been correctly cast. He also said that those who get information on the internet are getting incorrect info (completely missing the obvious that mine was correct per our conversation) and that those that believed the election machines and the election could be corrupted are like those who claim the "sky is falling".

That Diebold is even ALLOWED to provide "Voting" machines to ANY United States municipality is a stark reminder that democracy, as it HAD been defined, is clearly under attack. That the rationale for waging war in Iraq changed from seeking WMD's to establishing democracy is yet another pathetic lie. How can we hope to establish democracy in another country while this inept admistrattion is unraveling it here at home? VOTE DEMOCRATIC- and let the American citizenry regain control of our country, our democracy, and ensure that our children and families live for that which we are fighting for- in the name of democracy.

There will BE no "exit polls" in these elections that will decide the fate of our Democratic Republic.

What little polling will be done on the days immediately before will be highly partisan and controlled by the corporate media (thanks George Soros for all you didn't do to fund exit polling and honest elections).

Vote and get everybody you know to vote and then prepare for the worst and be happily suprised.

Gotta love the concern trolls. If someone heard that voting machines were flipping votes from one candidate to the next, don't you think it would pique their curiosity and they might go out and vote just to see if it happens?

The word is getting out, and that upsets people who would rather not deal with the issue.

So.. us "liberals" have "low IQs", yet you conservaturds are the ones that believed Saddam had WMDs and attachments to al Qaeda. Hmm.. despite the evidence that was available, the FACTS that were counter to what you were willing to believe to get your war. Now the justification has completely changed, and you're too stupid to see it? you just keep regurgitating the same tire bullshit talking points supplied by the hate filled talking heads?

The right-wing logic machine is totally fucked. Knowing vote are being destroyed or not counted does NOT = "people won't vote". Sure, some people will be disheartened, but that's on BOTH sides of the isle, it's not a partisan issue, but leave it up to the twisty-brained-agendizers to try and make it look that way.

There is TONS of EVIDENCE to support the Republican Party is as corrupt as they come, and Shrubby has broken many laws and LIED to get us into this hell hole called "The Iraq War". And anyone with an IQ over 50 can see that.. which is -exactly- why the MEDIA is NOT TALKING ABOUT IT.. duh?

Here's a thought.. If Diebold is SOOOO sure that the "documentary is wrong", how about filing a liable suit? a defamation suit? What? they don't want this in COURT??!! Hmm.. wonder why.

I will never cease to be amazed at how the right-wing-nutjobs keep trying to say "dems are not smart", all the while following people who have built their careers on being masterful liars. And it's not like those lies are hard to see or find, but you have to be damn smart to support a liar who says what ever it takes to get your vote, right?

I heard a little while ago on the Ed Schultz Show that the Justice Dept will be sending 800 "observers" to I think it was 20 or so states to protect the integrity of the voting process.
Does anyone know anything about this?

Very neat. Who will challenge them? They're official. They're there to protect our vote. I'm sure that the places they choose to go will be totally random & that their actions will all be completely transparent & non-partisanly verified.

I'm speaking only about the house races, which to me, matter the most.

Here's a quote from Edison Research on their exit polling: "We are only doing statewide samples. So the only House races that we will be covering are the handful of states that have a single congressional district." Yet it is the congressional races that are MOST important for us to take and thereby put a stop to the Republican nightmare of "non-reality-based" politics." (source link)

There was also something about this at KOS, but I can't get there from here, so can't provide a link.

BTW, this doesn't change the requirement for Democrats to VOTE IN MASSIVE NUMBERS and make the theft that much more obvious, if not for now (the corporate-owned mass media may ignore it) but for HISTORY to judge these maniacs, just as we now judge the "good Germans" who appeared to do nothing as Hitler stole power and destroyed THEIR Democratic Republic.

Also, if you are feeling there is nothing you can do (besides VOTE, VOTE, VOTE --- well, only ONCE, but you know what mean), there is: You can spend 30 minutes at your kitchen table CALLING PEOPLE UP and REMINDING THEM HOW IMPORTANT THIS ELECTION IS. Just google "Call for Change" or go to this link to do so. It's a great and easy way to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Hi from the hackingdemocracy webmaster! our blog on http://hackingdemocracy.blogspot.com and basic site at http://www.hackingdemocracy.com are now up, so please do come along and give your opinions on our site too, especially once the documentary airs tomorrow at 6/7pm on HBO.
Brad's doing an amazing job of keeping abreast of the news much more than we can possibly hope to, so please encourage him and come back here after posting to our site!

Hey Savanster #18 Great post! I see Commander Twinkie #1 hasn't been able to think up any new lies - oops I meant lines - oh well, either one fits; & he still can't remember Brad's not a Democrat.

Mr. Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere & his alter ego FrustratedDem with a combined IQ of a piece of half-eaten toast, is finding himselves in the ever-shrinking minority. Does it seem these few share one itty-bitty bedraggled brain? The brain that once belonged to Abby someone ... AbbyNormal, perhaps? Stem Cell research could do such wonders.

The sane republicans are waking up & jumping ship faster than a pack of lemmings on a downhill slope.

A whole lotta republicans are getting angry about the voting machine corruption, too. Now that they've finally heard the truth, that "proprietary secret" of the corporate media. Decent folks don't want to be associated with all this rampant & obvious cheating & lies. Even Joe Scarborough's had enough! Now that's a hoot!

Joan #21
Doesn't surprise me what with the Pentagon sending out their troops to ensure the news gets told "properly" over the internet. It's really hard work catapulting the propaganda but even harder to shackle the truth. High Five, gang!

Big Dan #20 & Charlie L #16
I thought after the 2004 Edson Mitofsky coverup they announced there would be no more exit polls. ???

MMIIXX #4
Our gov't is so overtaken by the slime right now that we can't get any legal action, but I truly believe it's going to explode soon. Lots of lawsuits & lots of repubs getting angry about the whole mess. And FINALLY some news coverage. It's about time. Thanks to Lou Dobbs, Keith Olbermann & his Truly Special Comments, Jack Cafferty AND Anderson Cooper. Did I forget anyone? We'll just have to wait & see. Kreepy Karl tipped his hand & told us about "THE MATH." I hope he ends up with a big, sloppy pi all over his face.

BVAC #3 - my sentiments exactly!

Bev Harris - I'm excited it's only a few more hours until Hacking Democracy airs on HBO. I watched your interviews on Democracy Now & Lou Dobbs. You did good. Thank you.

I'm happy to see so many of my favorite folks here! By the way - anybody see Bushwacker lately? Hope he didn't give up on us.

Also, Larry Bergan #25, Diebold has been asked numerous times to appear on shows[such as Lou Dobbs] but they've always refused. Diebold --- the company that makes ATM machines for banks - lots of machines [all of which give receipts] --- is afraid to show up to shut the argument down. BECAUSE they know the whole deal was based on corruption of immense proportions. They know it and they know we know it and they're afraid of what might just slip out. Those nasty Freudian slips.

Ooops FrustratedDem Comment #7 I Am So Sorry!!! - I misread your comment and thought it was Bucksnot signing in with a different name as he does frequently. Forgive me?

I agree with you that the terrorizing language & behaviour of the radical right-wing neocon republicans has taken a toll on all of us. The Democrats have had an incredibly frustrating 5 years dealing with the bullies on the Hill & in the WH and the Media from all angles. They are just people after all & it does take a toll. I'm with you. I think they all should take a course from Barney Frank. Did you see him skewering Stephen Moore (one of the editors of The Wall Street Journal - a total ditto-head) on Bill Maher's Real Time last week? He didn't let him get away with anything. Those typical bashing-points all of them use ala Coulter & Hannity & Rush don't work on Barney Frank. Try this link to watch a bit of it:

We don't see ads like "Mission Accomplished?" because the republican-owned pro-business media companies won't run them. NBC refused an ad because it was "critical of the president". Billboard companies canceled Dean's DNC ad because it was "distasteful" --- even though they previously and since ran much worse ones from the 'pubs.

At least Webb got on the air with his ad saying "319 billion"..."xxx dead"..."no end in sight"..."we need a new course". But this is pretty much the extent of what Democrats can get aired

I spelled his name wrong, It's Mike Papantonio. He is on a show with Robert F, Kennedy Jr. called "Ring Of Fire" on "Air America" every week. He and Kennedy are suing Diebold and, I think one other voting machine company. Papantonio, I believe helped bring the huge lawsuits against the tobacco companies when Clinton was in office. Here is a BradBlog entry about it.

Thanks, Larry. I knew about RFK, Jr.s' lawsuit but didn't recognize the name Papantonio. Thanks for the info & link to Brad's previous entry, which I had not seen. I have been wanting to let RFK know how much I appreciate his work. I'd vote for him for President if he would run!

Brad's Bloggers continue to say how good the paper back-ups are. I agree, however, until all of us push for standsards being set by a truly independent commmission or board in DC even those machines are not working like they should. It seems the vendors win when the opposition pushes to have taxpayers buy new machines without first demanding accountability and truly independent standards from our Congressman and women.